Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram

The Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram is one of the most renowned temples in Tamil Nadu. The presiding deity in this temple is Lord Chidambaram. There are numerous legends associated with the Lord.

According to the legend the Lord started his cosmic dance with the body of his wife who died after her husband was severely humiliated by her own father. She could not bear the humiliation of her husband and committed suicide.

Therefore her husband who loved her deeply, wandered with her body from country to country and from Heaven to earth and down to Hell. The other Gods and Goddesses discovered this and were afraid because like this Lord Shiva would invariably destroy the entire creation if he was allowed to continue in that manner.

So, they assembled in front of Lord Brahma and asked for a suggestion. He suggested that the only possible way to save the Universe from destruction would be to mutilate the body of Goddess Sati so that Shiva would stop her cosmic dance.

Lord Vishnu used his Sudarshan Chakra to do that task and after this was done the body of the beloved Sati felt here and there and each of these places became important Pithas. In total there are 51 Pithas.

Therefore the Lord Nataraja is present in the Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram. The architecture of the temple is beyond comparison and is the most unique among the rest of the South Indian Temples.

The architectural style of the Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram justifies the rich Dravidian style of architecture and is unique in its own ways. The large monuments and the unique arrangements of the corridors indicate the rich style that was closely associated with the Dravidian form of architecture.

The Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram reflects the Dravidian Culture and its consequent amalgamation with the Indian form. The result was the marvelous temple of the Nataraja at Tamil Nadu.